The present invention relates to chair controls. In essence, it also relates to chair height adjusting mechanisms. Indeed, the present invention creates a unique marriage between the two.
Chair controls are mounted underneath a chair seat and in the broadest sense are used to secure the chair seat to a pedestal base. Usually, they are utilized to control the rearward tilting of a chair, although in the broadest sense for purposes of this invention, the term chair control is intended to include a non tilting unit. They typically comprise a stationary housing having mounting means for mounting the stationary housing to the top of a chair base. A tilting member is then pivotally connected to the stationary member and the chair seat, or back, or both are then secured to the tilting member. Some type of resilient biasing means is operably positioned between the tilting member and the stationary housing whereby rearward tilting of the chair is "controlled".
Chair height adjusting mechanisms are part of the pedestal chair base. There is usually some means in the central column of the pedestal base which facilitates adjusting the column upwardly or downwardly, thereby adjusting the height of the chair to which the chair base is mounted. It is to the top of the central column that the chair control is typically mounted. Usually adjusting the height of the column involves manipulating a button or separate column sleeves or the like, located on the column itself, to adjust the column upwardly or downwardly. Often, one has to reach underneath the chair base and underneath the column to manipulate the height adjusting actuator.
Pneumatic cylinders are becoming popular chair height adjustment mechanisms. Such a cylinder is located within a central telescoping column. The cylinder includes an actuator button which when depressed, causes the cylinder to expand if the chair is empty or to contract if the chair is occupied. Thus, height adjustment upwardly or downwardly is achieved.
Usually, there is a lever mounted on the chair base in such a way that when it is deflected one way or another, it actuates the pneumatic cylinder actuator button. The problem with such an arrangement is that in chairs in which the chair seat can be tilted through the action of a chair control, the position of the end of the lever varies relative to the chair user. He always has to look for the end of the lever. This is true whether the lever is mounted directly to the base as is typical, or to the stationary member of the chair tilter control.